Daycare Ramblings

For the most part, I really like to consider myself a positive person. Granted, there are things that get me down but overall I look at the up side of things. Maybe it's all the hormones racing inside me (I'm sure it is) but in the last day or so I have been a weeping mess. I am so scared how we are going to manage financially. Everyone keeps saying you will do what you have to do. I get that and I know we will, but that doesn't help me feel any better right now. I think the biggest thing is child care.

WTF?? It is so freaking expensive.

I plan to go back to work in January. My MIL has said she will watch the babies two days a week. My mom said she can watch them one day a week. OK, so that's three days, what about the other two? No daycare is going to have an opening for THREE infants. So I began to look into a nanny...OK the going rate is about $15/hour. We can do that if it's for two days/week. So that might solve the issue from January to May when we are off for the summer. Now, what about the next year? I know I am getting ahead of myself but that's how I think. I need to have some sort of a plan.

There comes a point financially when going to work isn't even worth the money but as I've said before, I WANT to work. I NEED to work. Plus, I don't think we could survive on my DH's teaching salary alone. I could go part time but that would mean I would lose tenure and have to pay OOP for my health care benefits. It's just too much to think about right now.

I know we will make it work, there is no other option. For now though, I worry.

Thanks for listening.

23 Weeks

Turn on the radio and sway to the music. With their sense of movement well developed by now, your babies can feel you dance. And now that they're more than 11 inches long and weigh just over a pound (about as much as a large mango), you may be able to see them squirm underneath your clothes. Blood vessels in their lungs are developing to prepare for breathing, and the sounds that your babies' increasingly keen ears pick up are preparing them for entry into the outside world. Loud noises that become familiar now — such as your dog barking or the roar of the vacuum cleaner — probably won't faze them when they hear them outside the womb.

Shower Pics & appt. update

My appointment this morning (cervical check) went great. I am up 29.8 lbs from my starting weight which is right on track. My cervix is holding strong at 5 cm-they like to see it at 3. My doc says if I can make it to 24 weeks (one more week) with this strong of a cervix then PTL (pre-term labor) is very unlikely! He did warn there still could be pre-ecclampsia that has me deliver early but one less thing to worry about it great and there's really nothing I can do to prevent the pre-e so no use in stressing over it.

I had my first shower this weekend and am simply amazed by people's generosity. We received so many useful and wonderful things. It really was surreal to know that the shower was for us and our babies. DH was at this shower since it was family but he won't be at this weekend's with all my friends;)

Here's a couple pics from the event:



Baby carriage fruit bowl

Favors (no reason everyone else shouldn't drink)

Me & DH

Awesome onsies that you know will come in handy

Names Revealed (most of them)

Congrats to Pam...her guesses were
Krystlelea Earline
Poindexter Justiniano
Gottfried Marcellus

LOL, just kidding.

I am a little (OK, a lot) shocked that one person got 5 out of the 6 names correct! Emily, congrats! The only name you didn't get was the girl's first name and that won't be revealed until after the birth (you'll never guess it either;)

So.....
Baby A: K... Elizabeth
Baby B: Preston James
Baby C: Gavin Michael

All the middle names are family names and DH and I didn't argue at all about names!!
A lot of you got the middle names right, some got first names right.

This was really fun so thanks for playing along with me:)

We have a cervical check tomorrow and hoping it's still holding strong!

Name Guesses

OK, here's the deal. I will not tell you the names but I will give you the first and middle initials and you can guess.

If you guess right, I will let you know.

Baby A (girl): KE
Baby B (boy): PJ (just FYI, this will not be his nickname)
Baby C (boy): GM

Ok, guess away in the comment section.

22 week pic & updates

How Far Along: 22 weeks!


Total Weight Gain: 26 pounds at my last appointment - new weight Monday!I"m still on the low end for weight gain!

Maternity Clothes: All maternity clothes

Stretch Marks: none

Best Moment this Week: Feeling more movement and getting to see the movement on the outside.

Movement: Often but only when I'm laying down or sitting.

Food Cravings: Broccoli cheese soup (yes, it's been 100 degrees here)

Labor Signs: No!

Belly Button Innie or Outtie: Still inne but just barely

What are You Looking Forward to this Week: My 1st shower on Sunday!!!

22 Weeks

At 11 inches (the length of a spaghetti squash) and almost 1 pound, your babies are starting to look like a miniature newborn. Their lips, eyelids, and eyebrows are becoming more distinct, and they're even developing tiny tooth buds beneath their gums. Their eyes have formed, but their irises (the colored part of the eye) still lack pigment. If you could see inside your womb, you'd be able to spot the fine hair (lanugo) that covers their bodies and the deep wrinkles on their skin, which they'll sport until they add a padding of fat to fill them in. Inside their bellies, their pancreas — essential for the production of some important hormones — is developing steadily.

Nursery Progress (mainly picture post)

We are getting there with the nursery.


BEFORE

After painting

With chair rail and a crib

Our Boston helping us decide on crib mattress height...LOL

Girl Bedding (not our room)

Boy Bedding (not our room)

Boys' letters of their first name. The dots will be painted blue and then hung over each of their cribs

Girl's letter w/ dots painted

21 weeks

Your babies now weigh about three-quarters of a pound and are approximately 10 1/2 inches long — the length of a carrot. You may soon feel like they're practicing martial arts as their initial fluttering movements turn into full-fledged kicks and nudges. You may also discover a pattern to their activity as you get to know them better. In other developments, your baby's eyebrows and lids are present now.

Appointment Update

We had a cervical check and growth ultrasound today.
My cervix is great, long and closed like it needs to be.
The babies look great! Baby A (girl) is measuring about 4 days ahead of our due date and is topping the scales at 15 oz. Her brothers are right at our due date and are both weighing in at 13 oz. Babies B & C (boys) were kicking each other like crazy during the ultrasound, it was cute but it also makes sense why I'm so uncomfortable on my left side. I have two baby heads (the boys) poking me on my left side (see 3rd pic) and right under the left ribs are 4 baby feet (see 2nd pic). Baby A (girl) is laying low right above my pelvis. She's active but not like her brothers.

Here are some pics:

All three heads

"You don't plan to breastfeed do you?"

I get this ALL the time. The answer is yes, I plan to breastfeed and hope that I can do it successfully for all three of the babies for the first 6 months at least. I know I will be a milking machine for awhile but that's OK because it's what's best for the babies (so so much cheaper than formula). We took a Breastfeeding Multiples class this morning and it was so informative. Not only for multiple moms but for someone like me who hasn't even breast fed in her life and needs to basics of how to.

All the other couples in the class were having twins and when they asked if I was going back to work they were shocked when I said yes. I will be honest, I have never wanted to be a stay at home mom. I know that may change when I have the babies but I don't know. I do wish that I could take longer than the 8 weeks given to me for maternity leave after they are born but we're both teachers and simply cannot afford it. Besides they will be taken care of by my mom and MIL when I go back and we live about 5 minutes away if I need to come home.

OK, I digress, back to the class...
it really was great but I have to say DH and I left there a little scared on how we're going to do this but I know we will make it work because there isn't any other way. I guess it just seemed so much more real with 3 dolls piled on my lap:)

Growth scan on Monday, can't wait to get a look at the little ones again.

20 week belly pic & update

Things are going well. I am definitely feeling tired and need to rest a lot more in the last couple weeks. I have started to feel little flutters in my belly when they are moving around. It is mainly when I am laying down, laying on one side and change to the other side. It is crazy to think those are our babies! The flutters have gotten more and more frequent just in the last couple days so I'm sure in no time I will be getting kicked and punched from every direction. My next Dr. appointment is Monday but so far everything looks great and there are no signs of pre-term labor (knock on wood).

I will leave you with this week's pic, not as great as the last one in Mexico but the belly is definitely growing!

20 weeks!!

Your babies weigh about 10 1/2 ounces now. They're also around 6 1/2 inches long from head to bottom and about 10 inches from head to heel — the length of a banana. (For the first 20 weeks, when a baby's legs are curled up against his torso and hard to measure, measurements are taken from the top of his head to his bottom — the "crown to rump" measurement. After 20 weeks, they're measured from head to toe.)

They're swallowing more these days, which is good practice for their digestive system. They're also producing meconium, a black, sticky by-product of digestion. This gooey substance will accumulate in their bowels, and you'll see it in their first soiled diaper (some babies pass meconium in the womb or during delivery).

Average NICU time

I was on the MOST website and I found this information very helpful to give me a guess as to how long our babies might have to stay in the NICU after they're born. My doc thinks I can make it to 36-37 weeks!

Average days in the NICU by Multiple Type and Gestation

Gestation......Triplets
<25 weeks......60.8 days
25 weeks......113.5 days
26 weeks......90.0 days
27 weeks......82.0 days
28 weeks......55.2 days
29 weeks......46.9 days
30 weeks......39.6 days
31 weeks......30.7 days
32 weeks......22.6 days
33 weeks......16.8 days
34 weeks......11.4 days
35 weeks......6.2 days
36 weeks......3.0 days
37 weeks......3.5 days
38 weeks......9.3 days

*Note: Hospital stays for infants born after 35 weeks may vary depending on the size and overall health of the babies.